Students from Queen Charlotte Secondary School replaced a rickety plank with a new footbridge at Gore Brook Thursday.
The students in the Technology Education class designed and built the bridge with their teacher Norm Wagner. "It seemed like a good idea," says Mr. Wagner. "It protects the environment, and there's community involvement."
George Farrell of the Hecate Strait Streamkeepers asked the class to help with the project back in September. The streamkeepers are a non-profit group of community volunteers that restores damaged streams to improve salmon habitat. Students from the fall semester designed the bridge, and then Mr. Farrell sent the plans to the Department of Highways engineers for approval.
While waiting for them to come back, Mr. Farrell arranged for funding. Finally in May, with the plans approved and the materials ready, student from the spring semester built the bridge, says Mr. Wagner.
While the Technology Education class built the bridge, the Outdoor Education class built the bridge's foundation under the direction of Mr. Farrell.
Finally, last Thursday afternoon (June 5), the students got to complete the project by lifting the bridge into place.
"It would be great to do more of this. It's great experience for the kids," says Mr. Wagner. "Something we're designing here has a real life application. The students learned the value of the whole design process. And the students also have the pride of seeing something beautiful they built actually being used and the community benefiting from it."